Method and System for Autonomous Vehicles

ABSTRACT

A method and system for facilitating cost effective, reliable, system redundant, self-driving vehicles involves the employment of specialized lane marking components that permit unprecedented sensor feedback, and in particular, a system and method that enables accurate lane marking recognition despite adverse weather conditions, which presently pose problems experienced by self-driving systems that rely upon vision based camera systems.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application seeks priority from U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/078,539, filed on Nov. 12, 2014, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/163,163, filed on May 18, 2015. The entire disclosureof the prior applications is considered to be part of the disclosure ofthe accompanying application and is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A method and system for facilitating cost effective, reliable, systemredundant, self-driving vehicles involves the employment of specializedlane marking components that permit unprecedented sensor feedback, andin particular, a system and method that enables accurate lane markingrecognition despite adverse weather conditions, which presently poseproblems experienced by self-driving systems that rely upon vision basedcamera systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Worldwide, over a million people die on roads every year. More than 40%of fatal crashes in the U.S. involve alcohol, distraction, druginvolvement and/or fatigue. Driver error is believed to be the mainreason behind over 90 percent of all crashes.

Over the past years the automobile and technology industries have madesignificant leaps in bringing computerization into what has for over acentury been exclusively a human function: driving. As safety has been amain emphasis in motor vehicles for the past decades, there remains astubborn and inevitable problem at the heart of the fatalities sufferedeach year: the driver is human. The automobile, which has followed apath of steady but slow technological evolution for the past 130 years,is on course to change dramatically in the next few years, in ways thatcould have radical economic, environmental, and social impacts.

New cars increasingly include features such as adaptive cruise controland parking assist systems that allow cars to steer themselves intoparking spaces. Companies are attempting to create almost fullyautonomous vehicles (AVs) that can navigate highways and urbanenvironments with almost no direct human input.

AVs could enable smarter routing in coordination with intelligentinfrastructure, quicker reaction times, and closer spacing betweenvehicles to counteract increased demand. The first autonomous systems,which are able to control steering, braking, and accelerating, arealready starting to appear in cars. Thanks to autonomous driving, theroad ahead seems likely to have fewer traffic accidents and lesscongestion and pollution. Automation could theoretically allow nearlyfour times as many cars to travel on a given stretch of highway, savingalmost three billion gallons of fuel each year in the US alone.

Driverless vehicle technology (or autonomous vehicles—“AV”) promises toreduce crashes, ease congestion, improve fuel economy, reduce parkingneeds, bring mobility to those unable to drive, and eventuallyrevolutionize travel. Based on current research, annual U.S. economicbenefits could be around $25 billion with only 10% market penetration.When including broader benefits and high penetration rates, AVs may savethe U.S. economy roughly $430 billion annually. AV operations areinherently different from human-driven vehicles. They may be programmedto not break traffic laws. They do not drink and drive. Their reactiontimes are quicker and they can be optimized to smooth traffic flows,improve fuel economy, and reduce emissions.

An AV system that relies on optical sensors can be expected to havereliability problems. The signs or markings can be obscured by dirt,ice, or snow and visibility can be impaired by fog, blowing snow,blowing dust, and the like. Furthermore, for night usage, a considerableamount of energy must be expended, either to illuminate the signs or tosend out a beam from the sensor.

If autonomous driving is to change transportation, however, it needs tobe both widespread and flawless, while also being attractive to theconsuming public. Google has developed prototype AV's that have large,unsightly devices on vehicle roofs, featuring huge rotating laserscanners. The driving public desires systems that have style as well asfunctionality, and thus there is a need for smaller, more limitedsensors that can be positioned into the body of a car withoutcompromising weight or styling.

One barrier to large-scale market adoption is the cost of an AV system.Presently, AV technologies include expensive sensors, communication andguidance technology, and software for each automobile. Another problemis that vehicles, at any given time, will vary in the newness of theirindividual computer systems that regulate the self driving capabilities.For a multitude of vehicles to cooperate on a roadway, there is a needfor a coordinated system and method that avoids outdated information.

Another problem presenting designers of AV systems is the threat of aterrorist attack, thus disrupting transportation in particular cities,etc. Centralizing all the sensor elements in a vehicle, rather thanhaving some sensing elements separate from the vehicle, would permitattacks to the vehicle systems to render them unworkable. Conversely,having a more dispersed system where sensors can both be less expensiveand that rely on a standard extra-vehicular component (e.g. pavementmarkings as described herein that work in a system to communicate withvehicle installed systems), one would be better able to avoid theprospect of an attack on particular AV systems. One advantage of certainaspects of the present invention is that disrupting a vehicle'scommunication or sensors systems would require a more complex andsophisticated attack. Engineering an attack to simultaneously compromisea fleet of vehicles, whether from a point source (for example,compromising all vehicles near an infected AV) or from a system-widebroadcast over infected infrastructure, would pose even greaterchallenges for a would-be attacker.

Providing AV travel data including routes, destinations, and departuretimes to centralized and governmentally controlled systems is likelymore controversial, particularly if the data is recorded and stored.Without safeguards, this data could be misused by government employeesfor stalking individuals, or provided to law enforcement agencies forunchecked monitoring and surveillance. Vehicle travel data haswide-ranging commercial applications that may be disconcerting toindividuals, like targeted advertising. Decisions to enhance travelerprivacy ideally should be balanced against the benefits of shared data.Thus, a system that has at least some elements that are self-containedin the vehicle to frustrate an all inclusive control of such vehicleand/or information being discerned from such vehicle may be desirable.

Some have postulated that there are two basic approaches to autonomousnavigation of vehicles on roads: 1) employing a vehicle that navigateslike a human, with little pre-existing knowledge of the road featuresbeyond simple maps and general rules of the road; and 2) an approachthat relies on extensive prior knowledge of the environment provided byGPS measurements, a map of all stop signs, and pedestrian crossings.Prior inventors have noted the challenging aspects of the first approachdue to the extreme variability of real-world environments. Thus, manyhave pursued systems that involve the second approach, such as theDefense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Urban Challenge and theGoogle self-driving car project. While it has been possible to achievesignificant reliability using the second approach, such systems requireconstant updating of detailed prior maps that must be extremely preciseand accurate. GPS also does not provide the precision necessary to staywithin a lane of traffic; it severely degrades in environments withmultipath or shadowing; and the signals can easily be blocked orintentionally disrupted by others desiring to interfere with operation.Inherently, such systems lack the ability to address unexpected changesto the environment where the vehicle is traveling, thus potentiallycausing significant problems with employment of autonomous vehicles on awide and large scale. The present invention is directed to the provisionof a system that preferably includes both approaches and thus, providesthe structured environment and the real time adjustability of a devicethat can assure the safe transport of people in such self drivingvehicles.

Prior art autonomous vehicle systems that sense the local environmentand register the sensor measurements to a map of prior observationsoften require map-matching that depends significantly upon the type ofsensor and the locale. Passive visual methods that rely upon digitalvideo cameras perform poorly in outdoor environments due to changes inscene illumination, variations in solar illumination angles, cloudiness,etc. Visual sensing, an approach used by the Google car, require that asensor transmit light, typically at frequencies that are otherwiserelatively dark, and measures the intensity of the return. Algorithmsare then used to search for similar intensity patterns in a map ofprevious measurements to determine the location of the vehicle. But suchsystems are less than preferred in various adverse weather conditions,such as in snow storms, fog, rain and dust, where important featuresrequired to match a scene to prior acquired scenes may be obscured andnegatively impact performance. Moreover, other moving vehicles, featuresthat move in wind gusts, etc. present significant challenges,demonstrating that there is still much to be desired and are simply notrobust enough to address common real-world conditions. Active sensorsemploying light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors are expensive anddue to some precision-engineered electro-optical-mechanical parts, arenot believed to be especially practicable solutions.

In certain prior art systems, cameras used for determining a vehicle'sposition in relation to a lane are limited in robustness andreliability. This can be due to technical limitations of the sensoritself, but also due to external problems, such as poor or absentvisible lane markings, caused by road wear, water or snow covering themarkings, etc.

Some prior art systems typically utilize at least one of a radar/lidar,DGPS/INS and digital map, or camera/video processing sensor to detectthe lane markings (or road edges) that delineate a lane boundary. Thedetected lane-marking range is typically used to determine the lateralposition of the vehicle in the lane (i.e., vehicle in-lane position),and a parameter time-to-lane-crossing is calculated based on the in-laneposition and the motion of the vehicle.

There have been attempts to place laser and radar scanners inside frontand rear bumpers that sweep the road before and behind for anythingwithin about 200 meters of the car. Some systems employ cameras embeddedat the top of the windshield and rear window that track the roadmarkings and detect road signs. Vision scanners near side mirrors areemployed to watch the road left and right. Other systems employultrasonic sensors above the wheels to monitor the area close to the carand differential Global Positioning System receivers are also used tocombine signals from ground-based stations with those from satellites todetermine the vehicle's location to within a few centimeters of theclosest lane marking. Such existing prototype systems have severalcomputers inside the car's trunk to process data gained from thesensors. Software is employed that may assign a value to each lane ofthe road based on the car's speed and the behavior of nearby vehicles,in order to decide whether to switch to another lane, to attempt to passthe car ahead, or to get out of the way of a vehicle approaching frombehind. Commands are relayed to a separate computer that controlsacceleration, braking, and steering. Still other computer systemsmonitor the behavior of everything involved with autonomous driving forsigns of malfunction.

While all such systems are useful in arriving at a commercially viableand cost effective vehicle, much emphasis has been placed on theadmittedly important aspects of avoiding collisions with other vehiclesand obstacles, spot objects on the road ahead and take control of thebrakes to prevent an accident. Such systems may lock onto a vehicle infront and follow it along the road at a safe distance and employ a car'scomputers to take over not only braking and accelerating, but steeringtoo.

Despite such recent advances and prototypes, the dream of totalautomation is proving to be surprisingly elusive, largely because thesensors and computers employed are too expensive to be deployed widely.For example, the spinning laser instrument, or LIDAR, seen on the roofof Google's cars, while providing a 3-D image of the surrounding world,accurate down to two centimeters, costs $80,000 and is presently toolarge for practical use as the consumer will demand more stylish, sleekvehicles.

There is a need for an inertial navigation system that provides precisepositioning information by monitoring the vehicle's own movement andcombining the resulting data with differential GPS and highly accuratedigital maps.

A persistent and as yet largely unaddressed problem relates to poorweather conditions, which can significantly degrade the reliability ofsensors. Moreover, it may not always be feasible to rely heavily on adigital map, as so many prototype systems do, as even a very accuratemap may be inaccurate and wrong and the work of keeping such maps up todate is a daunting and ongoing task that presents too much liability forwide acceptance of systems so dependent on the same.

While total autonomy of a self driving vehicle may not be imminent—ifeven desired—there needs to be better systems that are cost effectiveand that can reduce the number of lives lost, gallons consumed andstress experienced in the evolution of self driving vehicles. As theairline industry appreciates that auto-pilot systems have greatlyadvanced the safety and reliability of the airline industry, there isstill an appreciated aspect of personal human involvement in suchvehicles, and hence the need to have experienced and trained airlinepilots to work in cooperation with such automated systems. Similarly, insome embodiments, it is envisioned that vehicles may have very usefuland beneficial systems that provide various features that can assist inachieving a reduction in the number of lives lost due to the absence ofsuch driving systems.

Another drawback with proposed systems is that they require thatessentially all involved vehicles must be provided withtransmitter/receivers of similar kinds and types and may rely upondifferent information systems that are made by different companies.Standardization of such systems may be difficult if not impossible dueto the way the technology is developing, the ownership of proprietaryrights involved in any given system, etc. For at least some time, themajority of vehicles on the road will simply most probably not beequipped with an active safety system, and thus, even if one vehicledetects a collision risk, others will not. There is thus a need for asystem and method that has at least some aspects that are separate andapart from individual vehicles that can be relied upon as a standard bywhich other competing systems of vehicle makers can rely, to accomplishthe general objective of avoiding collisions and saving lives via a costeffective system and method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of many embodiments of the present invention is the provisionof an improved extra-vehicle component to an overall near-autonomousself-driving vehicle system and method. Several embodiments are directedto pavement markings that permit unprecedented sensor feedback such thatadverse weather conditions do not pose the problems presentlyexperienced by self-driving systems presently employed. Having pavementmarkings that incorporate, for example, magnetic aspects that can bedetected by sensors located in a vehicle can offer the desiredredundancy required to ensure a safer and more robust system thatfacilitates self-driving and steering mechanisms and systems forvehicles. Certain aspects of such paving material employ magneticparticles that are oriented during the placement of the material on aroadway. For example, in several embodiments, particles are dispersed ina wet paint form of pavement marking and a magnetic field is thendirected to and in close approximation to such wet point so that theparticles are directed to face a desired position once on the roadway,with such particles being essentially maintained in such a directionwhen the paint dries. In other systems, magnetically adjustable elementsare associated with the pavement material such that such elements arepre-loaded into or on the surface of pavement markings such that suchelements can be oriented in a desired direction via outside magnetspassing over such markings. Thus, one aspect of the present invention isdirected to a method and system whereby some of the directional and datacommunication system and method of self-steering and driving vehiclesystems is in the pavement marking material, rather than in the on-boardsystems of the vehicles. In this manner, the tremendous cost and expenseof sophisticated systems envisioned for self driving vehicles can bevastly reduced as the pavement marking material itself will haveadvanced aspects that permit less expensive and refined sensor systemsto be employed, adding to the safety and reliability of the overall selfdriving experience. In certain embodiments, the elements presentlyemployed in so-called “smart-systems” utilized with credit cards, IDsystems, etc. can be employed with respect to pavement marking materialsso as to add an extra-vehicular control system to an overall AV trafficcontrol system. In one embodiment, a strong electro-magnet is broughtinto close proximity (e.g. preferably between about 5 millimeters and 10centimeters) with newly laid-down paint (or alternatively pavementmarking materials with imbedded magnetically directable elementstherein) of the type mentioned herein, which include particles havingdesired magnetic and directional characteristics, with such particlescoming under the influence of the strong magnetic field such that theyare collectively pulled in a direction while in the liquid orsemi-liquid phase of the pavement marking material (e.g. wet paint)exists; or alternatively the pavement marking material is constructed soas to provide the ability of magnetically attracted elements t be movedand oriented at any time during the useful life of such pavement markingmaterial. Some pavement marking materials will therefore be flexible inthis regard and will permit movement and different orientations ofmagnetic elements so that a pivotal ability of the pavement markingmaterial persists well after it is provided on the roadway surface.

While radar sensing is possible, along with sonar or sound sensing, oneis limited in correctly reading and interpreting radar or sonar echoesto insure obstacles are avoided and turns are made properly. Videosensing techniques based on current technology, using video cameras, mayoperate satisfactorily in daylight and in periods of good visibility butat night and in periods of poor visibility video systems are of littleor no value. The present invention provides a relatively easy means ofacquiring required road information as well as vehicle position relativeto the center line of the desired path (lateral deviation).

In certain embodiments, there is an ability to modify the pavementmarking materials via applying a force to physical or magneticcomponents imbedded or otherwise associated with such pavementmaterials, such that when roadway managers desire to change the residentsignaling of such materials, they can be modified for such purposes. Inone embodiment, such a change to the directional aspects imbedded in thepavement material is achieved by having a specialized vehicle rundirectly over the pavement material so as to modify orientation ofparticles residing in the pavement material. For example, magneticallydirectional aspects of the pavement material may be modified by having astrong electromagnetic element run over the surface of the pavementmaterial in a fashion such that there is a realignment of the magneticparticles or elements in the pavement material.

There is a need for at minimum, a fine tuning of a self-steeringvehicle's movements in real time—as well as a back-up redundant systemthat would operate if the various map-dependent, infrared sensors and/orGPS systems fail, or are inaccurate, etc. While “vision systems” may beemployed to “read’ the paving markings on the existing roads—e.g. seeingyellow and white lines, etc.—adverse weather conditions can oftenobscure the same and make such camera sensors impractical orineffective. One aspect of the present invention relates to the abilityof pre-determined directional aspects of the pavement marking materialto be coded so that roadway management systems appreciate a digitalrecognition of the type and kind of roadway marking involved. Thus, forexample, a certain magnetic element orientation would be indicative of awhite stripe, while another orientation would be indicative of a yellowstripe, stop sign, yield zone, merge zone, traffic condition, etc.

Another aspect to the present invention is directed to the provision ofnew paving marking material that may communicate with reliable sensorslocated on vehicles that can “read’ the location of such markings on thepavement itself, thus ensuring that the vehicle is moving as it should.Thus, various paving markings are envisioned, including: special paintthat has laser light reflecting elements (e.g. small mirrors—some ofwhich may be associated with metallic elements such that when the paintis wet (or a flexible substrate is employed with the particles imbeddedtherein) a magnet passed over the freshly laid paint will orient theparticles so that there is a directional aspect to the paint—and thus,the sensors (or lasers) can better reflect off such pre-determineddirectional markings. The system should preferably be accurate and finetuned so as not to read opposing closely laid paint for on-comingtraffic lanes etc. Other sensors can be employed that rely upon magnets,metallic elements, and spaced apart features such that the vehiclesystems can “read’ the same (similar to a metallic stripe being detectedor “seen” regardless of weather conditions) and verify coordinates toeither steer the vehicle and/or to act as a redundant confirmationsystem of the vehicle's movements in a GPS guided system. In such amanner, for example, the present invention may provide a vehicle roadwayguidance/control system wherein pavement markings may be seriallyoriented so that a binary code is formed by passage over the passivemarkers.

Pavement marking, including but not limited to pavement paint on roads,is necessary and occupies a large amount of state and governmentalresources every year. Replacement paint is required over time—and withself-driving vehicles, it is believed that a practical system will needto employ pavement markings, including paint that is so-called“smart”—so as to assist in the conveyance of vehicles along roadways.Thus, various road-marking systems and methods are described herein thatare useful in the new generation of self-steering vehicles that arebeing developed. The coordination of municipalities, cities, states,governments, etc. with existing vehicle production companies—especiallywith a standardized pavement marking system and method, is preferably adesired and useful advancement in the provision of a life-saving, fuelsaving system and method that promises to greatly enhance and advancesafety, reliability, redundancy, and practical implementation of such asystem.

In one embodiment, the addition of metallic shot or particles, or othermaterials having a high dielectric constant, to a thermoplastic paint ormarking material, is used to paint or mark lane stripes on pavement andis used in combination with a vehicle containing suitable detectionequipment that can detect the additive material in the painted stripes.Thus, in certain embodiments, small magnetic particles are mixed intothe pavement marking ingredients as part of a liquid, which can becoated or extruded in a thin strip onto a roadway surface, allowed tocure, solidify and then harden. Preferably, such pavement markingmaterial is designed to seep into the rough surface and porescharacteristic of roadways, such as cement and asphalt, and hardens toform a firm grip or bond to the pavement. In certain preferredembodiments, the incorporation of metal particles and/or high dielectricparticles is used within the thermoplastic material of ordinary roadmarker paint. A preferred embodiment of the enhanced radiometric paintincludes size 20 or 30 iron shot with the iron shot comprisingapproximately 30% of the paint mixture by volume. In other embodiments,however, use of various sized and shaped iron based materials can beemployed having non-round shapes. The percentage of such material incertain embodiments can be as little as 5% and as much as 75%,preferably at least about 10% and less than 28%, or alternatively, morethan 50% but less than about 70%.

In certain embodiments, the placement of passive markers on pavement todefine traffic lane boundaries enables a vehicle having proper detectionequipment and traveling in the lane to detect the lane boundary, as aredundant system working in coordination with the other location devicesand systems as described herein. These embodiments allow economicalplacement installation of passive markers on roadway surfaces,reasonable durability and life of the markers, and consequently enableeconomical detection systems to be used in motor vehicles. In oneembodiment, the use of wafer-thin elements embedded in painted orpre-made polymeric material traffic lane stripes is employed. Theseelements may, in certain embodiments, utilize the same technology asused commercially in many in-store anti-theft systems, petidentification systems, and PASS highway toll systems, and can beeconomically fabricated in mass-produced quantities.

In various embodiments, on-board sensing devices are installed in motorvehicles, one on each side near the front of a vehicle, such as in frontof each front tire at the bottom of the front bumper. In a particularlypreferred embodiment, such sensing devices are included in the tires orwheels, or both, of vehicles, thus providing a ready way to havenumerous vehicles retrofitted in a manner that keeps up with advances inthe AV system itself. Municipalities or Federal Governments may choose,for example, to offer tax based incentives to have consumers purchasenew tires/wheels that permit far more vehicles, in an economic fashion,to obtain necessary sensor devices to make possible a robust AV systemfor a particular area.

In many embodiments, the aiming of each sensing device is preferablydown and slightly outboard and each sensing device may preferablyincorporate both a transmitter and receiver. In certain embodiments,signal reflecting tags or labels, preferably very small so that theyreside in the pavement marking material, are employed to respond to asignal emanating from the vehicle with sufficient strength to return asignal. Thus, when such a signal is incident on an embedded tag orlabel, and the received strength is sufficient to cause the tag or labelto reflect a return signal, the return signal is picked up by the sensorreceiver. The passive elements may, in certain embodiments, be in thepainted lane stripes such that they respond to different frequenciesbased on the location of the particular stripe so that an on-boardprocessor used for detection will be able to distinguish individualstripes on a roadway, such as distinguishing a centerline stripe thatseparates oncoming lanes from a shoulder stripe, turn lane, cross-walk,etc. Alternatively, system may be employed where signals emanate fromthe road to the passing vehicles, and in other embodiments a mix ofsignals from and to the roadway are used to accomplish the objective ofa workable, economically feasible system.

A related aspect of the present invention is directed to an ability tore-charge the magnetic qualities of imbedded material in a pavementmarking system. Thus, periodically a strong magnetic force is re-appliedto existing pavement marking material so as to further energize thesignal transmission characteristics thereof. Such a system may includevehicles of a traffic management governmental authority that have highpowered magnetic elements associated therewith that pass over andre-energize the metallic elements in the pavement marking material onthe roadway. Solar powered recharging systems may also be used to retainthe magnetic characteristics of the resident road located materials soas to maintain a robust AV system.

In one embodiment, a vehicle position recognition system includes atleast one magnetic marker for forming a magnetic field at apredetermined position on the road surface and at least one magneticsensor for detecting the intensity of the magnetic field formed by themagnetic marker. An on-vehicle detector is provided for performingoperation of the vehicle position on the basis of the magnetic fieldintensity obtained from the magnetic sensor. Problems experienced withprior art systems are avoided due to the redundancy and combination ofdifferent data input from GPS and other location features, incombination with the features (including the magnetic pavement markingsystem/method as disclosed herein) of the present invention. Thus, inthe event there is a problem involving a magnetic field being wronglydetected, or it is not detected, due e.g. to a magnetic body that maydisturb the magnetic field when a vehicle is traveling down a trafficlane, such as for example a piece of magnetized metal in the joint of aconcrete road or the structural body in a tunnel; or some other featurethat forms a magnetic field larger than that of the magnetic fieldemanating from a magnetic pavement marking, such issues are readilyaddressed via the receipt and combination of GPS, visual camera andother location sensors employed in a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. The coordination and comparison of these distinct and variousinputs can act to arrive at inconsistencies such that unusual situationscan be recognized and addressed by an AV system. In such a manner, thepresent invention provides a vehicle position recognizing system thatreduces problems that could be caused by undesired magnetic disturbanceswhen a vehicle is conveyed down a traffic lane, thus permitting thesystem to properly detect the intended pavement marker and its magneticsignal, in conjunction with other positioning systems, thus accuratelydetermining the position of a vehicle. One of skill in the art willappreciate the myriad of ways that such signal comparison can beperformed to achieve the desired AV system result.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to theemployment of automated vehicle roadway beacons. Thus, in certainembodiments, the invention comprises the use of location beacons thatare installed in or near roadway surfaces to affect the path thatvehicles traverse on roadways. These location beacons may be any singleembodiment or combination of conductive, magnetic, visible light,infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray, or gamma-ray light beacons. They areinstalled within the roadway surface or near the roadway surface toprovide accurate vehicle position information for “autonomous” vehicles.

One aspect of the present invention is directed to the particularability to update software over the air for vehicles to add, modify orsubtract certain functions, such as to adapt to new advancements inpavement markings that can be read by the car in snowy conditions etc.This is similar in many ways to the automatic updating of smart phonesand mobile computers but importantly is done to further the operationalaspects of a coordinated AV public system that has the ability to savemany lives and prevent tragic accidents. One example of a particularupdate that would be involved is the updated maps developed andgenerated by AV vehicles traveling on roads that may have defective lanerecognition systems, thus permitting servicing of such area before anydetrimental accidents occur and otherwise informing system managementpersonal as to where resources should be employed to facilitate a wellrun system.

In one variant of the invention, small sealed gamma radiation sources(i.e., Cs137, Am241, etc.) may be embedded in the roadway surface alongthe centerline of the traffic lanes (preferably in addition to othermagnetic-based AV system components.) The radiation sources arepreferably spaced sufficiently far apart so that the radiation areasfrom each source overlap enough to affect an invisible path for anautomated vehicle to follow from one radiation source to the next and tocreate an invisible barrier between opposing traffic lanes. X-raysources can also be employed in addition to or in place of gamma raysources, with x-rays being manipulated to emit varying energies of x-rayradiation to communicate different road conditions.

Automated vehicles possessing radiation detectors are used to adjust thedirection of the vehicle to align with the path of the radiation sourcesbased on the amplitude of the radiation detector(s) on the vehicle. Onmulti-lane roadways, the vehicle may be programmed to move to the leftor the right of the lane presently occupied by the vehicle tore-establish a path in the new traffic lane for the vehicle to follow.In preferred systems, gamma radiation sources are used in combinationwith at least one other of the pavement marking systems describedherein, including the magnetic element pavement marking system describedherein.

Employing the present invention, the path of an automated vehicle is notaffected by weather conditions including: rain, snow, ice, dirt, sand,or other material that may obscure the visible roadway surface. Anotheradvantage to this form of lane designation is that detours may beinstalled on temporary road paths around road construction zones simplyby placing radiation sources in an appropriate path around theconstruction zone. The preferred embodiment of this type of roadwaymarking system includes the use of radioactive half-life longevities ofover 20 years and the amount of radiation exposure to living beings willbe less than 2 mR per hour at the surface of the roadway pavement, inaccordance with NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) mandates.

In still another embodiment of the invention, pavement marking materialsinclude thin-film conductive materials such that they are embedded withor associated with a roadway surface in a manner that permits them toconduct either an AC or DC current. Automated vehicles equipped withsensors may then follow the path of the embedded current, and conductorscarrying a different current or voltage may be installed between lanesof opposing traffic to prevent the automated vehicles from crossing intoan oncoming traffic lane. In still other embodiments, such a systempermits current to flow in the traffic lane conductors to chargeelectric automated vehicles. Pavement marking materials may also includepiezoelectric elements able to generate electricity by convertingmechanical energy of vehicles driving over the piezoelectric elements-to electric current. Preferably, infusion of power along the roadway isprovided by solar charged batteries associated with the thin-filmconductive materials. In still other embodiments, anti-pest components,such as pesticides, are provided with the pavement marking to deterinsects from eating insulation, etc. that could otherwise short out asystem.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, permanent magnets may beinstalled in the pavement marking materials, providing an invisible pathfor an automated vehicle to follow from one magnet to the next.Automated vehicles with magnetic detectors are then able to adjust thedirection of the vehicle. A magnetic system offers several advantages:it is not adversely affected by weather conditions, does not requireexpensive video or other radio frequency equipment, and uses little tono power to achieve its magnetic marker function. Preferably, thecoercivity of the magnetic material used in the pavement marking is atleast above 1000 oersteds. Advances in metallurgy and magnetictechnology in the last decades have resulted in the availability ofmagnetic materials with unprecedented power—most notably “Rare Earth”magnets, some of which exhibit a pulling strength of more than 100 timestheir own weight. They do not suffer significantly from problems likedegrading over time or sudden loss of magnetic power due to exposure tomoderate external magnetic influences or the removal of keepers, as‘traditional’ permanent magnets tend to suffer. The rare earth elementsare fifteen elements with atomic numbers 57 through 71, from lanthanumto lutetium, plus yttrium. Despite their name, rare earth metals aren'tactually that rare but they typically occur in ores at lowconcentrations and often in tandem with radioactive elements likeuranium and thorium. Permanent magnets made from alloys of REEs withtransition metals and boron enable commercial production of thestrongest permanent magnets known today. In various preferredembodiments, REE paint or pavement materials are employed to establish apractical AV system having both vehicle sensors and pavement rootedelements that work cooperatively to achieve the objectives as set forthherein.

To limit the penetration depth of the magnetic field of each magneticdevice, permanent magnets with short and fixed magnetic length may beused. In order to increase overall volume of active magnetic material, aplurality of such individual short length magnets may be connected inseries to provide a single magnetic field orientation, i.e. each deviceis comprised of a stack of permanent magnet plates (magnetized in thethickness direction of the plate such that opposite faces have oppositepolarities) interleaved with soft iron pole piece plates. In variousembodiments, the magnet plates are arranged alternately with faces ofequal polarity opposing one another across the intervening pole piece,such that a series of alternating North-South-North-etc. magnetic fieldsalong the stacking direction are present between neighboring polepieces, thus providing a plurality of working (air) gaps along thestacking direction. That is, the active magnetic material may besubdivided into discrete portions and interleaved and in contact withpassive magnetic material, thus creating a plurality of shallow magneticfield loops between the pole pieces.

Preferably, certain aspects of the present invention utilize permanentmagnets as a source of a magnet field and can be switched between ‘on’and ‘off’ states. Still other embodiments employ aconfiguration/arrangement of discrete magnetic field sources whichoverall generates an effective attraction force between a device,incorporating the arrangement which simultaneously enables substantialconfining of magnetic flux lines generated by the arrangement.

Other embodiments employ a pavement marking device having a plurality ofmagnets, each having at least one N-S pole pair defining a magnetizationaxis, the magnets being located in a medium having a first relativepermeability in a predetermined array configuration with a defined gapspacing between the magnets and with the magnetization axes extending inpredetermined orientations and preferably in a common plane, the devicehaving a face operatively disposed to be brought into proximity to amagnetic sensor of a moving vehicle. Such magnetic sensor preferably hasa second relative permeability that is higher than the first relativepermeability, thereby creating a closed or loaded magnetic circuitbetween the magnets and the magnetic sensor and effecting flux transferthrough the magnetic sensor between N and S poles of the magnets.

Preferably, the system provides a self-regulated flux transfer from asource of magnetic energy to a magnetic sensor, wherein a plurality ofmagnets, each having at least one N-S pole pair defining a magnetizationaxis, are disposed in a pavement marking medium having a first relativepermeability, the magnets being arranged in an array in which a gap ofpredetermined distance is maintained between neighboring magnets in thearray (and consequently the pavement marking medium) and in which themagnetization axes of the magnets are oriented such that the magnetsface one another with opposite polarities and preferably extend in acommon plane, such arrangement representing a closed magnetic circuit inwhich magnetic flux paths through the medium exist between neighboringmagnets, and magnetic flux access portals are defined between oppositelypolarized pole pieces of such neighboring magnets.

A limit of effective flux transfer from the magnetic circuit into thepavement marking medium will be reached when the pavement marking mediumapproaches magnetic saturation and the reluctance of the pavementmarking material substantially equals the internal reluctance of themagnetic circuit. In such array, two kinds of flux portals exist—a firstone is between the pole pieces of the individual magnets with a first(forward) flux direction and the second one is between the pole piecesof neighboring magnets in with a second (opposite) flux direction.Therefore no uniform flux direction exists in the array and fewerproblems with remanence in magnetic sensors will ensue after the sensormoves away from a pavement marking medium having such an array. It willbe appreciated that the above features defining self-regulating fluxtransfer can be incorporated into various embodiments of pavementmarking mediums.

Magnetic guidance systems of the prior art have been embedded within aroadway. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,678. Thepolymer-based magnetic materials disclosed are resilient and flexible,such as nitrile and silicone rubber, and plasticized PVC. Resilientrefers to recovering to substantially the original shape after removalof a deformation force. The '678 patent discloses, in one embodiment, apolymeric magnetic tape or sheet that is either inserted edgewise in anarrow channel or slot or laid flat in a more shallow channel cut in theroadway. Magnets may also be embedded within the pavement of the roadwayinstead of in an open channel. A flux sensor may be mounted on a vehiclethat travels over the roadway, and the sensor can generate an electricsignal in response to the magnetic medium if the magnetic field issufficiently strong to be sensed. The intensity of the magnetic field atthe surface of the roadway should be at least 2 gauss, preferably atleast 10 gauss, and more preferably at least 100 gauss, to provide astrong signal even when road conditions are less than optimal. Althoughit has its own utility, the system disclosed in the '678 patent may notbe desirable because it relates specifically to embedding a magneticmedium in an existing road. That is, this patent discloses cutting aslot, hole, or other aperture in an existing road, inserting a magnet orplurality of magnets in a resilient material within the aperture, andthen sealing the aperture to protect the magnets. Certain aspects of thepresent invention are thus directed to providing either a paint thatcontains desired magnetic attributes as set forth herein, avoiding theneed to physically cut existing pavement surfaces, which entails laborand added expense. Other embodiments employ pavement materials that areotherwise laid down on the surface of pavement and road surfaces toobtain the many benefits of the pavement marking AV system set forthherein.

In certain embodiments, conformable pavement marking sheet materials arepreferred that comprise polymeric materials that have desiredviscoelastic properties. Preferably, magnetic particles are embedded insuch a conformable magnetic layer, whether it be paint or apre-determined polymeric composite stripe to be adhered to or otherwiseaffixed to a road surface.

Automated vehicles, preferably those able to generate electric currentthrough induction when passing over the magnetic elements, may beemployed in an overall AV system. An automated vehicle may be equippedwith magnetic field sensors located on each side of the vehicle(preferably located in the tires or wheels of the vehicle) and thevehicle may then travel in a path centered between the magnetic particleinfused paint markings applied to the roadway surface.

To reduce the need to provide extensive disclosure in this application,but to provide adequate written description of the various devices andmethods encompassed by the numerous embodiments of the presentinvention, various patents are incorporated herein in their entiretiesby this reference. These include: U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,803 to Cummings,et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,456; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,614,469 and 6,417,785to Tyburski; U.S. Pat. No. 6,414,606 to Yujiri, et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,202,742 to Frank et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,094 to Dyer et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 3,725,930 to Caruso; U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,456 to Zhang, et al.;2003033330 to Peteri; U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,027 to Pereri; US20070225913to Ikeda; 20130231829 to Gerdt, et al.; 20130231820 to Solyom, et al.;20120265403 to Svensson, et al.; 20120203418 to Branennstroem, et al.;20110215947 to Ekmark, et al.; 20110320163 to Markkula, et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 6,335,689; U.S. Pat. No. 7,084,773; US 2007/0021915 to Breed;20130184926 to Spero, et al.; 20130218397 to Griffini; U.S. Pat. No.8,520,954 to Suzuki; U.S. Pat. No. 8,494,716 to Lee et al.; U.S. Pat.No. 8,462,988 to Boon; U.S. Pat. No. 8,456,327 to Bechtel, et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 8,378,799 to Yim, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,791,503 to Breed, etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,111,147 to Litkouhi; U.S. Pat. No. 8,717,156 toTronnier; 20140207377 to Gupta; U.S. Pat. No. 8,781,669 to Teller;20140121964 to Stanley et al., 20140307247 to Zhu; U.S. Pat. No.8,532,862 to Neff; WO2013018038 to Sheinker; U.S. Pat. No. 8,451,140 toPiccinini; U.S. Pat. No. 8,290,659 to Asano; U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,846 toClark; U.S. Pat. No. 6,236,915 to Furukawa; 20030123930 to Jacobs(abandoned); U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,027 to Peteri; U.S. Pat. No. 7,983,802to Breed; WO 2014082821 to Protzmann et al.; WO 1996016231 to Dahlin;U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,432 to Jordan; 20140267728 to Dahlin; U.S. Pat. No.6,051,297 to Maier, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,680,569 to Matsumoto; WO2013160238 to Dietrichson; U.S. Pat. No. 8,178,002 to Camardello; U.S.Pat. No. 8,775,060 to Solyom; U.S. Pat. No. 8,352,112 to Mudalige;20140236463 to Zhang; U.S. Pat. No. 8,880,273 to Chatham; U.S. Pat. No.7,138,750 to Mancosu; U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,853 to Adamson; U.S. Pat. No.7,832,263 to Rensel; U.S. Pat. No. 6,291,901 to Cefo; U.S. Pat. No.8,841,785 to Theuss; U.S. Pat. No. 8,352,110 to Szybalski; U.S. Pat. No.8,527,199 to Burnette; 20060033641 to Jaupitre; 20140297094 to Dolgov;20070152845 to Porte; U.S. Pat. No. 8,954,261 to Das et al.; U.S. Pat.No. 8,977,420 to Deng et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 9,096,267 to Mudalige etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 9,090,264 to Zhao et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,874,301 toRho et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 9,090,259 to Dolgov et al.; U.S. Pat. No.9,081,385 to Ferguson et al.; 20140225694 to Sitti et al.; U.S. PatentPublication No. 20140195093 to Litkouhi; 20150266477 to Schmudderich;20090195124 to Abramovich et. al.; 20150210274 to Clarke; 2014130178 toDroz; U.S. Pat. No. 9,129,272 to Penilla; PCT/US2015/018285 to Scofield;20150198951 to Thor; 20020174084 to Mitsugi; 20120149000 to Baker; U.S.Pat. No. 8,489,648 to Rubin; 20150241880 to Kim; and 20140012431 toBreed.

The disclosures of all of the foregoing United States patents are herebyfully incorporated into this application for all purposes by referencethereto. While various tire electronics systems, magnetic elementsystems and power generation systems therefore have been developed, nodesign has emerged that generally encompasses all of the desiredcharacteristics as hereafter presented in accordance with the subjecttechnology.

In one embodiment, a pavement marking device (whether it be a tape, amore substantive road adherent device, etc) is manufactured in a mannerto conserve the expensive interactive elements necessary to communicatewith sensors located on an automated vehicle. Thus, in a particularembodiment, a pavement marking structure (again, it may consist of atape, a geometrically shaped road attachable device, etc—collectivelyreferred hereto as a pavement marking structure) is provided that hasbetween one and six separate longitudinal lines/channels extendingbetween a first and second edge of the longitudinal extent of thepavement marking structure. Such lines/channels can accommodate theinclusion of metallic materials specially designed to interact withsensors positioned on moving automated vehicles, and may further retainone or more magnetic components as described herein so as to minimizeany excess use of such material beyond what is called for in the roadbased directional system. For example, in one scenario, a pavementmarking structure has at least one line/cannel that includes a series ofmagnetic particles, rather than having such particles more randomlydistributed throughout the pavement marking material (e.g. such as wouldbe the case if magnetic particles were added to a pavement paintmixture.) Having several or a plurality of channels available, makes itpossible to make the contents of such pavement marking structuresvariable depending upon distinct issues that may present themselves,such as different weather and temperature conditions, the need to have amore robust magnetic signal in play (where e.g. two or more of thechannels is filled with magnetic particles to provide a stronger andredundant signal for sensors located on moving vehicles with a magneticsensor thereon). It will be appreciated, however, that still otherembodiments include more random dispersion of magnetic elements in apavement marking material for use in an AV system.

In various embodiments, pavement marking materials includemicrocrystalline ceramic beads which have a number of unique propertiesthat result in outstanding performance, including high refractive indexand high overall quality. Microcrystalline beads are also tougher thanregular glass bead, giving them better resistance to chipping andscarring. The result is a more durable optics system that returns morelight to drivers than typical glass beads. Appropriate pavement markingmaterials can be obtained from 3M, including both Durable tape (e.g. 3M™Stamark™ High Performance Tape Series 3801 ES) which has distinctivecolor properties, durability for long-term road presence and superiorreflectivity retention, as well as Liquid markings (e.g. 3M™ All WeatherPaint and 3M™ All Weather Thermoplastic, which are designed with amicrocrystalline bead structure and elements that maximize durability ofthe optics). Certain embodiments include rare earth elements in thepavement materials, with some of such materials thereby having glow inthe dark attributes that improve safety for drivers, while at the sametime, being suitable for use with various of the AV systems as describedherein.

In one embodiment, the data received and information collected byindividual vehicles traversing an area, is communicated to a system suchthat other vehicles entering such area are able to access such data andadjust their travel routes accordingly. Thus, if a vehicle enters anarea where there is a large pothole in the far left lane of traffic,such information is conveyed to a system network. Another vehicleentering into the area where the pothole is located is then forewarnedabout the pothole prior to hitting it, thus reducing the chances thattraffic will be disrupted by such vehicle, if it were not forewarned,hitting the pothole or swearing in to adjacent lanes to avoid the same,thus presenting dangerous road conditions for yet other vehicles in theimmediate vicinity. Thus, potholes and debris in the road may be handledby an intelligent automated roadway system in real-time.

Pavement marking materials may further include encoded information, muchlike smart-cards employ, that include one or more bits of information.An AV on-board sensing system acquires the information when the vehiclepasses by the reference markers and thereby determines vehicle position,preferably used in combination with other systems that include opticalsensing, radar, and acoustic or video sensing systems. Variousembodiments are designed to sense the vehicle's position relative to adesired pathway, usually the center line of the highway. In otherpreferred embodiments, the pavement marking material includes glassbeads on the surface to improve the visibility at night, such as those,for example, described in WO 99/04099 and WO 99/04097, both of which areincorporated herein by this reference.

In certain embodiments, the use of the pavement marking materials asdescribed herein facilitates a method for steering a vehicle byemploying magnetic marking elements arranged on pavement markings atpredetermined locations. Preferably, an AV is provided with a number ofsensors arranged adjacently of each other so that during travel of thevehicle the intensities of magnetic field measured by the sensorsprovide position information of the AV. In other embodiments, thepresent invention further provides a system for measuring the positionof a magnet relative to a number of sensor elements arranged atpredetermined mutual distances, wherein a substantially verticalcomponent of the intensity of magnetic field is sensed by one or moresensor elements during passage there over, and wherein the position ofthe magnet relative to the sensor elements is estimated on the basis ofthe signals coming from the sensor elements. One advantage of suchembodiments of the present invention is the ability to retro-fitexisting vehicles with appropriate sensors so as to read the magneticpavement markings employed. This provides a way to “grandfather-in”older model vehicles and to make them cooperate with the newest AVvehicles so that a cohesive transportation management system can beemployed without having all older vehicles precluded from certain AVlanes. Thus, by employing the use of sensor lane markings or otherindicators of the real road, where vehicle sensors preferably detectparticular magnetic signals detected from various pavement markingmaterials, including but not limited to a particular “directionalized”paint or marking, the road geometry values may be estimated based on theactual path the vehicle is travelling Such a system, in addition to (orsupplanting the same) camera sensors and the like, provides a superiorAV system and method, which complements other systems, such as knowledgeof road design practices and/or on typical physical constraints oncertain roads.

Various embodiments of the present invention include the use of avehicle that may use a plurality of visual sensors to detect positionsof surrounding vehicles, as well as a lane-identification system, whichcan employ infra-red (IR) or other visual scanners. Preferably thesystem employs a sensor that can receive the signals detected from thepavement marking material as herein described. In certain embodiments, apreferred system employs at least three sensory inputs (GPS, visualsensors and lane-marking magnetic sensors) to provide a combination oflocation sensors. Based on the information received, a controller mayestablish a current lane where the vehicle is located and calculate theprecise angle the steering system needs to be adjusted in order to steerthe vehicle to a predetermined desired path. In certain embodiments, atleast one of the sensors employed are located in either a tire or awheel of a vehicle, with preferred embodiments having lane-markingmagnetic sensors located in a vehicle tire or wheel.

Video camera systems that purport to locate road lane markings and roadboundaries (under good weather conditions) rely upon the boundary/stripeand the known size of the markings to locate them, and as such, use ofBotts dots type (domed, white, disks about 10 cm in diameter) markingssuffer from not being able to provide a sufficiently continuous signal.Many of the present embodiments, in contrast, can employ such Botts dotsor reflectors, as the ability to detect magnetic directional signals isnot dependent upon the visual characteristics relied upon by prior artsystems. Moreover, the present system which includes at least one of themagnetic pavement materials—does not suffer the problems experiencedwith AV systems that employ solely visual systems, such as the effect ofmotion blur due to a distorted image of the lane marking when thevehicle is moving.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed to the provision ofspecial tires, and in some situations, wheels, of an autonomous vehicle,with such tires/wheels particularly adapted for receiving information,and in certain circumstances, sending information, thus conveyinginformation from the pavement marking materials to the vehicle. Thus, inone embodiment, tires are constructed with particular metal-containingsensing components that are able to recognize magnetic signals emanatingfrom pavement marking materials, such as the particular types of tapes,paints and other structures as set forth herein. As one will appreciate,placing sensors in tires or wheels of a vehicle permits easier retrofitsof existing automobiles, and thus facilitates the development of asystem that can be employed for autonomous driving vehicles without theneed for every vehicle on the roadway to be of a newer design. Thus,many present particular embodiments described herein relate particularlyto magnetic sensing systems where a magnetic sensor mounted on or aspart of a vehicle is able to detect magnetic signals emanating frompredetermined pavement marking materials. Including sensors of variousdifferent types in tires and/or wheels, either alone or in conjunctionwith various visual sensors or camera systems, is a distinct advancementin the cause of establishing a robust autonomous vehicle system that canbe widely adopted by numerous users without the need to have brand newvehicles employed on the roadways. Thus, by having a car owner able toretrofit their beloved car with special tires/wheels that can bothdetect certain signals from the roadway when moving (e.g. regardless ofwhether such signals are emanating from beacons, in the pavement,overhead, via satellite, wirelessly, etc.) it will be appreciated thatthe far less expensive and already standardized sizes of tires make themapt for containing later developed sensor systems so as to advance theability for a substantially uniform AV system to be employed. Forexample, it is necessary in various AV systems to have vehicles owned byindividuals communicate with each other while on a highway. Whilesensors could potentially be retrofitted to individual bumpers ofvehicles to attempt to achieve this goal, the variety of vehicle stylesand the different shapes, heights, types and kinds of vehicles thatwould need to work in concert with each other for such sensors to workin the most advantageous way, is made difficult due to the variety ofthe above factors that must be addressed in formulating and carrying outsuch a system. Use of replaceable tires, however, where each tire mustcontact the same roadway, albeit with several tires being of differentwidths and diameters, provides the desired consistency for an effectiveAV system to be implemented in a much more economically feasible manner,e.g. as compared to having every vehicle having to be of a new andcompatible design or having to have retrofitable aspects that involvemore structural modifications that may affect the overall design andvisual aspects of the vehicle. By having tires that are able tofacilitate the AV controls necessary to operate an AV system for thepublic over public highways, makes practical sense as then both wealthyand those more economically challenged can at least retrofit theirexisting automobiles with sensor systems—embedded at least partially inthe tires (and in some situations the wheel that retains the tires) sothat the desired communication between automobiles of different types(as well as communications between individual vehicles and the roadway)is made economically feasible and the population of cars/trucks on thehighway able to take advantage of AV systems, is greatly increased.

One embodiment is therefore directed to including sensors of varioussorts in the tires of vehicles intended to operate on an AV system.Tires, by their nature being replaceable, and that wear down after atime, are perfectly suited to be the one component that individualvehicle owners will not object to purchasing, especially if by doing sothey are able to experience the AV system attributes, as discussedherein, by merely retrofitting their existing vehicle. In oneembodiment, magnetic sensors are provided in the tires themselves, suchtires configured or adapted to read signals emanating from magneticsystems provided in or around a roadway. In particular, certainembodiments are directed to tires with magnetic sensing systems that candetect magnetic signals that are emitted from road positioned elements,preferably magnetic elements that are part of pavement marking materialsas described herein.

In certain preferred embodiments, lane information is accumulated,computed, and shared by equipped autonomous vehicles traveling on thesame road, thus providing an evolving ability to map issues of concernfor vehicles and an ability to create detailed and accurate laneinformation. Certain embodiments employ location histories of AVvehicles to build lane information by tracking nearby vehicle locationtransmissions. In certain embodiments, individual transmissions areaccumulated via use of the magnetic elements located in pavement markingmaterials and the feedback from such sources by magnetic sensors on AVvehicles. For example, as a vehicle traverses the same road day afterday, it accumulates a large number of location indicators as it passesby numerous magnetic pavement markings. Vehicles are adapted to exchangesuch data so that a history may be formed of all equipped and proxiedvehicle travel on a particular roadway. This data can then be used byother vehicles as effective lanes that should closely track the actuallanes but that show how vehicles actually use the road, which iseffective for anti-collision purposes. One method of lane identificationcomprises the following steps. (a) collect data from at least three AVvehicles that travel on a particular road having magnetic pavementmarking materials installed thereon; (b) determine traffic lanes oftravel from such data in a particular region; (c) assign a laneidentification to such region; (d) assign a confidence level to thederived lane identification based on the number of distinct vehiclesthat made up the underlying data. Reasonable thresholds for a “moderate”confidence rating might be a minimum of 15 different vehicles and nomore than 5% of a variance of traffic lanes established via such data sothat less than 5% indicates a reasonable degree of confidence thatadditional vehicles traveling on such roadway will not have significantdeviation from determined lane designations.

One aspect of the present invention is directed to electronic systemsintegrated within a tire structure that employs piezoelectric technologyto convert mechanical strains associated with tire flexure to electriccharge that is then conditioned and stored in an energy storage device.Sufficient accumulations of such stored energy can then power electronicsystems including radio frequency (RF) transmission devices, magneticsensors, etc. By providing a tire sensing system that is self-powered,no scavenger antennas or multiple receiver locations with additionalhardwire connections are necessarily required. Moreover, employing sucha tire integrated system for AV purposes presents few limitations interms of the type and amount of electronic equipment capable ofutilization within tire and wheel assembly structures and thusfacilitates greater functionality of tire electronics, as morecomponents and/or higher-level equipment may potentially be utilized. Inone embodiment, a pneumatic tire assembly with integrated self-poweredelectronic components comprises a tire structure, an activepiezoelectric fiber composite structure, a power conditioning module,and an electronics package. Preferably the tire structure has a crownhaving an exterior tread portion for making contact with a groundsurface, bead portions for seating the tire to a wheel rim, exteriorsidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, andan inner liner along interior crown and sidewall surfaces. A powerconditioning module may be electrically coupled to the piezoelectricstructure to receive electric charge generated within the piezoelectricstructure and generate a regulated voltage output. This regulatedvoltage output then powers the AV sensing systems of the vehicle, and inparticular the magnetic sensor that is adapted to read signals frompavement marking materials as set forth and described herein. Apiezoelectric fiber composite structure and attached power conditioningmodule may be adhered to an interior crown surface of the tire, or thepiezoelectric structure may alternatively be cured directly into thetire's architecture.

Thus, in one embodiment an active piezoelectric fiber composite, a powerconditioning module, a plurality of sensors, a microcontroller, and anRF transmitter are employed. The piezoelectric structure ischaracterized by a plurality of piezoelectric fibers embedded in anepoxy matrix and provided between at least two electrode layers, suchembodiment preferably being either adhered to an interior portion of apneumatic tire structure or mounted and cured within the tire structureitself. The power conditioning module is electrically coupled toselected electrode layers such that it receives electric currentgenerated within the piezoelectric fibers and stores the current in anenergy storage device until it is selectively provided as a regulatedvoltage output. The plurality of sensors are powered by the regulatedvoltage output and the RF transmitter is electrically connected to andreceives information from the microcontroller to modulate on a carriersignal and, in some embodiments, to transmit to a remote receiverlocation. Still other embodiments generate power from piezoelectricmaterials integrated within a wheel assembly. In such embodiments, anactive piezoelectric fiber composite structure is incorporated within aselected interior location of the wheel assembly. Such piezoelectricstructure is preferably characterized by a plurality of piezoelectricfibers embedded in an epoxy matrix and provided between active electrodelayers. When the wheel assembly is subjected to mechanical strainoccurring as the wheel assembly rotates along a ground surface resultingin flexure of portions of the wheel assembly, thus generating electriccurrent within the provided piezoelectric fiber composite structure,such generated electric current is then conditioned and stored in anenergy storage device such that a regulated voltage source is availablefor powering electronic devices associated with the wheel assembly,including but not limited to magnetic sensors that detect magneticsignals emanating from the pavement marking materials as describedherein.

A sensor system for obtaining data, particularly magnetic data emanatingor derived from pavement marking materials as set forth herein, ispreferably located within the tire, which has a sensor disposed withinor connected to the tire. The sensor system may obtain the data throughwireless communications. The sensors are preferably micro-scale ornano-scale and are sufficiently small to be embedded within the tire andare sufficiently small to avoid being an occlusion in the elastomericmaterial of the tire, and in certain embodiments, may entail a sensorlayer that is built into the tire. Other configurations may employ astring-shaped plurality of sensors embedded within or provided as partof a tire component, such as a wheel. Other embodiments include anenergy harvesting system that employ a tire or wheel with anelectrically conductive coil mounted to the tire/wheel that is adaptedto move with the tire/wheel, such that the movement of the coil througha magnetic field induces a voltage in the coil. An energy storage deviceis preferably then coupled to the coil.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a method andsystem that is adapted to store a map at a computing device associatedwith a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in anautonomous mode, and wherein the map comprises information about aplurality of roads and a plurality of features, including the inclusionof AV sensing elements necessary for particular AV vehicles to operate,such as roadways having magnetically enhanced features that are adaptedto assist in the steering of the vehicles that pass thereon. Preferablythe method includes updating the map based on the features of the routeand to the quality of driving along the route based on other AV vehiclestraveling thereon, such that a cumulative system is developed to assistin having resources directed to a transportation area/region where moresensor technology may be required based on experiences of AV vehiclesconveyed across such roadways. For example, in areas where there areinsufficient magnets on a pavement marking material or embedded in theroadway itself (due to outages of magnets employed in such pavementmarkings, damage to the materials, etc), the AV vehicles traveling onsuch roads would be able to note such deficiencies and send an alert toa system unit such that appropriate repairs can ensue. Thus, there is anadaptive element to the method and system such that additionalinformation is continually provided to assess the safety and efficacy ofexisting systems and structures, thus ensuring that any breakdown in theAV system along any particular stretch thereof, may be addressed in atimely manner. Indeed, the AV vehicles can wirelessly inform a centralsystem of problems in a particular region so that appropriate repair andavoidance of such issues can be addressed in a prompt manner. Otheraspects of such a system may include determining one or more qualitycontrol statistics based on the stored information related to thefeatures of the route and to the quality of driving along the route.

One method of the present invention comprises the steps of installing anemitter unit emitting a signal in the pavement, installing a responderunit in an AV vehicle that is adapted to respond to the signal from theemitter unit, with an additional detector unit detecting whether theresponder unit is responding to the signal emitted by the emitter unit.

In certain embodiments, glow-in-the-dark pavement marking elements areemployed in conjunction with the AV locating features as otherwisedescribed herein. In certain embodiments, luminescent materials areincorporated into the pavement marking materials, whether that bebioluminescent, chemoluminescent, rare earth metals, a combinationthereof, or some other material that—especially when contacted by avehicle running over the surface of such pavement marking material,glows or otherwise luminesceses. Thus, in one embodiment, the surface ofa pavement marking material has a layer of chemo-luminescent materialthat reacts to glow when a vehicle runs over such surface, preferablyonly if such vehicle is of a pre-determined weight, such as at leastabout 500 lbs. In other embodiments, the pavement glows after having anAV vehicle's magnetic sensor pass over the pavement marking material,thus creating a light to demonstrate that the pavement marking materialand or the magnetic sensor is active and operating. A variety ofphoto-luminescent pigments can be used in such layers, which can beapplied onto standard road marking before or after said standard roadmarking is hardened. Moreover, various other light diffraction andreflection components can be added to increase the visibility of thepavement marking. Some embodiments of pavement marking material havesolar recharging abilities such that the glow-in-the-dark aspects of thepavement marking are recharged by sunlight so as to give off light inthe night. Still other pavement marking materials rely upon physicalcontact by a passing vehicle to trigger luminescence. Preferably, aphoto luminescent pigment employed in such pavement marking materialsincludes chemically doped metal sulfides, alkaline earth metalaluminates or alkaline earth metal silicates that are activated by lightand generate a long after glow of light that glows in the darkness formany hours.

In certain embodiments, the magnets embedded in the pavement materialare associated with luminescent materials such that when the magnets areattracted to a passing vehicles magnetic sensor, the pavement materialglows. This can be achieved in various ways, including positioning andsecuring magnets in the pavement materials such that the slight movementof the magnets within the pavement material is sufficient to activatethe chemical or bioluminescent materials to generate a glow from thepavement material.

In certain embodiments, the magnetic elements embedded in the pavementmarking are used in combination with other road detection components,such as a passive RF tag embedded in a paint stripe. A sensor in themoving vehicle thus can emit an RF signal at a frequency to which suchtags are responsive such that a return signal is received by the sensorfor on-board signaling of the presence of the stripe. In certainembodiments, however, no RF tags are employed.

In still other embodiments, roads can be lined with pavement markingmaterial that includes neodymium magnets or other rare earth elementcontaining magnets (preferably at least about 20 mm in diameter and atleast about 10 mm thick; and/or ferrite magnets at least about 30 mm indiameter and at least about 5 mm thick). Such magnets can be held inposition in a variety of ways, including being embedded in the pavementmarking material, and such magnets being preferably within 5 centimetersfrom a magnetic sensor associated with a vehicle traveling on the road.Powdered magnets can be used in the pavement marking material, whetherit be via inclusion in paint, or provided in grooves formed in thepavement marking material before or after being laid down on theroadway. The magnetic pavement elements can be conformable ornon-conformable magnets, including polymeric magnets, ceramic magnets,metal magnets and metal alloy magnets. The magnetic pavement elementscan optionally have a plurality of retroreflective beads bonded theretousing an adhesive. Certain embodiments of the present invention relateparticularly to road markings which are equipped with materials added toroad pavement marking materials that, in addition to possessing areflection capacity for electromagnetic radiation, may also reflectradiations, such as but not limited to, microwaves and/or infraredradiation, but also magnetic properties that assist in guiding anautonomous vehicle under adverse weather conditions that would otherwiseobscure or jeopardize accurate positioning information for such avehicle.

In certain embodiments, in addition to various of the above referencedattributes, various embodiments are directed to radiation-reflectingroad markings that include metal particles having a diameter of between10 μm and 1 cm, more preferably a diameter of between 0.5 mm and 2.5 mm,which may be of various metal constructs, including copper-containingelements, iron, and metal particles comprising aluminum, magnesium, zincor an alloy thereof. Such particles may further have surfaces coatedwith the metal, glass, poly(methyl methacrylate) or polycarbonate andthey may be of various sizes and shapes, including spherical, oval,rounded or of triple mirror format or are in the form of flakes.Preferably, they are provided on a surface of the radiation-reflectingroad marking with an adhesion promoter and/or a matrix material of theradiation-reflecting road marking comprises an adhesion promoter, whichmay be selected from the group consisting of a silane, a hydroxyester,an aminoester, an urethane, an isocyanate and an acid copolymerized witha (meth)acrylate and may be provided in a prefabricated adhesive tape ora water-based paint.

The radiation-reflecting road marking according to claim 1, wherein themetal particles are preferably mixed throughout at least the top firsttenth of an inch of the material, but may also have particles situatedsolely on a surface of the radiation-reflecting road marking.

The present invention also includes a method for producing theradiation-reflecting road marking by, for example, mixing components toform a mixture, applying the mixture to a road surface and adding themetal particles and optionally glass beads during or directly after anapplication of the plastic to the road surface, preferably when theplastic is still hot or warm or malleable, rather than cold, thuspermitting a magnetic force to be employed to cause the purposefuldirectional orientation of the particles so as to facilitate theautonomous vehicle guidance systems as set forth herein.

Information concerning the static environment of a vehicle includes astored map in conjunction with a global navigation satellite system(GNSS) such as GPS or. Galileo. But a disadvantage with such existingsystems is that the location accuracy is not sufficient to guaranteereliable operation of driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles,especially in view of daily changes to construction, weather conditions,etc. Thus, using the present invention, it is possible to obtain muchmore precise locations than can be obtained using a local, radio-basedor optical location system as described herein.

Existing systems are unable to effectively and consistently recognizetraffic lanes reliably in every situation and thus, problems occur inconstruction sites if temporary traffic markings are being employed;when adverse weather conditions such as fog, rain and snow exist; whenthe sun is low and there is a lack of contrast between traffic markings,etc. The present invention provides a system and method for reliableautomotive systems to have necessary peripheral perception to operateeffectively. The road marking embodiments set forth herein are in manyembodiments, able to be employed using, with only slight modification,established systems and thus, may be applied with existing techniqueswithout costly additional conversion of the corresponding machines. Inpreferred embodiments, where the metal particles are mixed throughoutthe material, rather than being just a surface treatment, the problemsassociated with wear on a traffic way are addressed, as with wear, newparticles are then exposed so that the markings will have a long usefullife and will continue to operate as magnetic responsive features foryears after first being applied to a roadway. In various embodiments,direct coextrusion of the metal particles as part of an adhesive roadtape production process is a preferred mode of application. One willappreciate, however, that in still other embodiments, metal particlesmay be scattered on during or directly after road marking is applied sothat at least another layer of particles are positioned predominantly onthe surface, especially if the material is still flexible and able to beoriented by the magnetically directional equipment used to orient suchparticles after their deposition. In a preferred embodiment, acombination glass bead and metal particle is employed such that theparticles added to a roadway marking feature has both light reflectiveproperties as well as the ability to be oriented via a magnetic field atsome point after the material is applied to the roadway. This eliminatesthe need to mix metal particles and glass beads together and instead,provides a single particle component to be used to achieve bothfunctional purposes. One of skill in the art will understand the variousways such glass beads with a metal aspect can be manufactured, but onesuch particle starts with a metal particle that is then coated withglass, thus producing a glass bead that can then be magneticallymanipulated by an exterior magnetic field directed over the roadwaymarker, thus causing the individual particles to orient as desired dueto such magnetic field. This further permits the characteristics of theglass bead reflective capacity to be directed, thus facilitating betterreflective attributers of the material, as compared with conventionalroadway markings.

To further provide written description and enablement support for thevarious embodiments of the present invention, the following referencesare hereby incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference:20140156134 to Cullinane; 20140172220 to You; 20140297116 to Anderson;20140324268 to Montemerlo; 20150070160 to Davisson; 20150100189 toTellis; 20150149023 to Attard; 20150166069 to Engelman; 20150247297 toProtzmann; 20150253772 to Solyam; 20150254986 to Fairfield; 20150293216to O'Dea; U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,252 to Tolliver; US20110159174;US20070116865 to Lichtblau and US20050286972 to Gongolas.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed to reducing thehazards of having pedestrians and bicyclists (as well as othervehicles—whether they are autonomous vehicles or not) provided withspecial features (herein sometimes referred to as “recognitionfeatures”) on their apparel, clothing, bicycle or vehicle that permits aparticular detection unit on a traveling autonomous vehicle to detectsuch special feature, and thus, warn the autonomous vehicle's system ofthe presence of such a feature. As one will appreciate such features canbe placed or incorporated into a variety of materials associated withpeople that may find themselves in an area where autonomous vehicles maybe operating. Thus, recognition features may be included in hats,helmets, backpacks, belts, shoes, jackets, etc. For example, in the caseof a biker (whether on a motorcycle or on a bicycle) the provision of amagnetic element in the clothing of such biker, positioned preferably atleast at the rear portion of the person's clothing or helmet (such as amagnetic feature sewn into the rear-facing portion of a biker jersey, acamelback water pack, a leather biker's jacket, etc.) permits anautonomous vehicle to detect such a feature and thus warns the vehicleof the presence of the biker, thus enabling the autonomous vehicle to doone of the following: reduce speed; stop; change course so as to provideextra room for the biker (e.g. at least another 6 inches, and up tobetween 1 and 2 feet) when passing, etc. Thus, in various embodiments,the present invention includes wearable features to warn an autonomousvehicle of the presence of a person, bike, static structure, pet, etc.This provides, for example, some assurances for a biker that theautonomous vehicle is at least aware of their presence in a manner thatsuch biker would otherwise assume in the case of a non-autonomousvehicle traveling on the road. It is contemplated in the presentinvention that such detectable features can be and will be employed inrunning shoes, apparel, etc. for those who find themselves next toroadways where autonomous vehicles travel, providing both the autonomousvehicle owner and the pedestrians, bikers, cyclists, etc. with increasedassurances that undesired collisions will not ensue. As one of skill inthe art will appreciate, the dimensions, physical characteristics, etc.of such features can vary to facilitate efficient and economical ways inwhich to accomplish the objective of having autonomous vehicles detectpersons on the path or side of roadways (or traveling in the path of theautonomous vehicle). These may comprise appliqués, magnets, stickers,etc. In certain embodiments, such features are purposefully added to theexterior of other non-autonomous (or autonomous) vehicles so that otherautonomous vehicles can more easily and readily detect thenon-autonomous vehicles while both are traveling down a roadway. Suchfeatures can be include, for example, as an attachment to bumpers ofvehicles to render it easy for the autonomous vehicle to send or projecta signal at about the bumper level of a vehicle and receive a reflectedsignal that would then be understood to be a warning of the othervehicle within the distance of the signal.

As described herein, an important aspect of various embodiments of thepresent invention relate to assuring that people, structures, animals,etc., that may encounter an autonomous vehicle have a specially appliedfeature that either passively or actively projects or reflects a signalback to an autonomous vehicle to announce their presence such that thevehicle's computer system can then adjust its travel in a mannerappropriate for such condition, such as by slowing down, speeding up,stopping, turning, swerving, etc. Such maneuvers will obviously becommensurate with what the particular situation presents by therecognition of the applied feature, including for example, theautonomous vehicle pulling safely to the side of a roadway and stoppingafter a collision with a person, article, etc. that has one or more ofthe above referenced recognition features associated therewith.Recognition features may also be employed to protect animals, whetherthey be cats, dogs, cows deer, elk, etc.—and one of skill in the artwill appreciate the many ways that appropriate recognition features canbe associated with such animals, e.g. dog or cat collars or tags, cowear tags, tags employed to mark wildlife, etc. Thus, in one scenario,wild deer are tagged with a recognition feature that is specificallydirected to either project a signal or to reflect a signal such that anapproaching autonomous vehicle can then recognize the animal when withina certain predetermined distance (e.g. 10 ft to 100 ft, more preferably50 ft-100 t) such that the autonomous vehicle can then be instructed totake appropriate measures to avoid a collision, or to at least lessenthe damage that may otherwise be encountered. For example, if anautonomous vehicle is approaching both a person on a bike and a separatewild deer crossing the roadway, the sensors on the autonomous vehicle,in conjunction with computer aided decision making capabilities, cantake appropriate measures to attempt to avoid both the person and thewild animal, but if not possible or feasible, will select appropriatemaneuvers such that there is a distinction made between the person andthe wild animal such that a collision with the person is avoided, evenif that entails a collision with the wild animal. Thus, recognitionfeatures may be provided with “signatures” as to what the item or personis so that the autonomous vehicle can compute such data and achievedesired maneuvers in view thereof. The ability to associate specificallydesigned recognition features with various distinct articles, persons,animals, etc. enables the autonomous vehicles, in conjunction withadvanced computer systems, to be provided with a type of moral decisionmaking ability, such that the proverbial difficult ethical and moraldecisions posed in real life situations where human beings are faced andchallenged with decisions as to which of two bad alternatives to select,the autonomous vehicle can at least make a decision based on the inputfrom the roadway situation in conjunction with pre-programmed decisionmaking computer software. Such software can then be updated and adjustedas new situations are encountered that require adjustment of programmedmethods of response. Without such a system in place, however, thedangers of having an “unthinking” autonomous vehicle on the roadway mayhinder the adoption of this important technology. Thus, intelligentdesign systems can be incorporated into the autonomous vehicle'scomputer systems to address such ongoing concerns and several of thereferences incorporated herein by this reference are directed to suchaspects of the present invention.

In various embodiments of the present invention, static structures cansimilarly be provided with recognition features to enable AV's to “see”them, such that sensors and beacons may be placed on or in existingstructures such as light poles, mile markers, road signage, roadwayreflectors, roadway paint or marking material, lane dividers, temporarytraffic markers, and beneath roadway surfaces.

Sensor and beacon functionality is based on at least one, but mayinclude multiple technologies, including magnetic, RF, visual, infrared,ultraviolet, subsonic, ultrasonic, mechanical, gamma radiation, andshort-range radio frequency communication methods.

Acoustic emission (AE) ultrasonic sensors may detect the noise signatureof animals or fallen rocks, trees, vehicle accidents, and otherpotential safety concerns on the roadway. The AE sensors may also detectautonomous vehicles on the roadway and activate beacons to signal theapproaching autonomous vehicle of any potential threats to travel on theroadway ahead so the autonomous vehicle can take appropriate evasiveaction.

The magnetic paint applied to the roadway surface preferably hasdistinctive characteristics allowing differentiation between the outsideedges of the roadway, parallel traffic lane divider markings, andidentification of opposing traffic lane markers. The autonomous vehiclemay be able to discern the type and proximity of the various magneticsignatures of the different roadway markings to assist in navigating thepath of the roadway even when the roadway surface is covered by rain,ice, snow, sand, or other material.

RF tags may also be attached to roadway signage including mile markers,stop signs, yield signs, guardrails, light poles, and lane dividers. Anautonomous vehicle in close proximity to any RF tag may sense the typeof signage the RF tag is attached to in order to assist in navigation ofthe vehicle. RF tags may be attached to temporary roadway barricades andhand-held signage or flags to direct the motion of autonomous vehiclesaround and through construction zones.

Piezoelectric elements may be installed in or under the roadway surfacein appropriate locations to maximize the probability of vehicle tires topass directly above the piezoelectric elements. Piezoelectric elementspossess the ability to create a voltage when compressed and relaxed,such as when a vehicle tire passes over the element. This voltage may beused to power or initiate the operation of roadway beacons such as lanedivider lights installed in the roadway, roadside lighting, acousticspeakers, ultraviolet signals, ultrasonic emitters, and short rangeradio frequency generators. Piezoelectric elements may also monitor thecondition and mechanical integrity of the roadway surface itself.Potholes, severe cracks, and severe deformations in the roadway surfacemay be detected by the piezoelectric elements and suitable beacons maybe activated by the piezoelectric elements to alert oncoming autonomousvehicles of roadway deficiencies and assist them in navigating safelyaround the roadway anomalies.

On roadway surfaces that are not suitable for other types ofnavigational aids, such as magnetic paint to identify traffic lanes onthe roadway surface over steel bridges, piezoelectric elements may beinstalled between lanes, at the edges of the roadway, and betweenopposing lanes of traffic where the magnetic paint would have beeninstalled on other roadway surfaces. The piezoelectric elements maydetect vehicle wheels over or near these lane boundaries and trigger theoperation of suitable beacons to communicate with the autonomous vehicleallowing it to stay in appropriate traffic lanes.

The various beacons may alert an autonomous vehicle of changes in theroadway path during periods of inclement weather such as snow, water, orice on the roadway surface and assist the autonomous vehicle innavigating the roadway path successfully and safely. Some beacons, suchas an ultrasonic beacon, may have the purpose of alerting nearbywildlife of an approaching vehicle allowing them to escape danger. Otherbeacons may alert traffic control monitoring personnel of local trafficaccidents or severe congestion so that appropriate measures may beimplemented to improve traffic flow.

One will appreciate that this summary of the invention is not intendedto be all encompassing and that the scope of the invention and itsvarious embodiments, let alone the most important ones, are notnecessarily encompassed by the above description. One of skill in theart will appreciate that the entire disclosure, as well as theincorporated references, pictures, etc. will provide a basis for thescope of the present invention as it may be claimed now and in futureapplications. While specific embodiments and applications of the presentinvention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the precise configuration andcomponents disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes, andvariations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may bemade in the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods andsystems of the present invention disclosed herein without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, mayreadily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures,methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the presentinvention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded asincluding any such equivalent construction insofar as they do not departfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an exploded, cross-sectional view of one embodiment ofpavement marking material having rare earth element magnetic materialincluded, as well as other potential materials, including RFID tagsembedded in the pavement marking material. The pavement marking materialincludes several layers of materials.

FIG. 2 illustrates various sensor system that can be used in conjunctionwith the present magnetic pavement marking system, where a magneticsensor is provided on at least one position near at least the left frontside of a vehicle and powered by a piezoelectric system associated withat least one of the wheels of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a magnetic sensor system thatincludes a piezoelectric power generating component positioned inside atire, thus facilitating retrofitting of existing vehicles to render themAV vehicle suitable, thus providing a way for an AV system to be adoptedto achieve the life saving and gas saving potential in such an AVsystem.

FIG. 4 depicts how sensors and beacons may be positioned on or inexisting structures such as light poles, mile markers, road signage,roadway reflectors, roadway paint, marking material, lane dividers,temporary traffic markers, and beneath roadway surfaces.

FIG. 5 illustrates other aspects of certain embodiments of the presentinvention, namely the provision of “recognition features” 40 to enableAV's to “see” various structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As described above and as illustrated in the figures, a first layer is alayer of glass beads. The glass beads are adhered to a textured rubberbase 36 by a layer of adhesive. Inside the textured rubber base 36 thereis a recess for receiving an RFID tag. The RFID tag is then held inplace by a fiberglass netting and a layer of adhesive. The fiberglassnetting also provides strength to the pavement marking material. Lastly,there is a layer of adhesive for adhering the pavement marking materialto a road. Alternatively, the layer of glass beads and layer of adhesivemay be substituted with Diamond Grade™ High Intensity PrismaticSheeting, Series 3930, commercially available from 3M Company based inSt. Paul.

In certain embodiments, a raised pavement marking material is employedthat includes a top surface and a bottom surface opposite the topsurface, two opposing angled side surfaces adjacent the top surface andbottom surface, with such surfaces being suitable for a magneticcomponent on one side and an RFID tag on the other side. The angled sidesurfaces are designed to help optimize the readability of the RFID tagby a RFID reader mounted on a vehicle, but in a manner that does notsignificantly interfere with the reading of the magnetic components onthe pavement marking material.

Retroreflective sheeting may overlay the RFID tag and/or magneticcomponents. In a preferred embodiment, a retroreflective sheeting isnon-metalized (i.e. prismatic), retroreflective sheeting. One suitablenon-metalized reflective sheeting is commercially available from 3MCompany based in St. Paul as Diamond Grade™ High Intensity PrismaticSheeting, Series 3930. Another example of non-metalized, retroreflectivesheeting is described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,258 toHoopman, incorporated herein by this reference. A cube-cornerretroreflective sheeting can be used that utilizes a nonmetalizedmaterial, and it may be used for retroreflective sheeting of raisedpavement marking material placed in front of an RFID tag withoutinhibiting the transmission of radio signals.

In one embodiment, the pavement marking material is able to communicatewith the tire containing elements by remaining in the traditional placeof line lane barriers. In another embodiment, the lane lines have anextra non-painted element that extends until the tire runs directly overit so as to reduce the need for the power of any signals beingcommunicated to extend in a lateral direction between the vehicle andthe lane marking. In either event, the traditional road constructiondesign and well-known lines, colors, etc. are preserved as there will betraditional cars and trucks running on such roads along with the AVvehicles. While separate lanes for AV vehicles may make sense, in termsof a system that can best work with all vehicles being largely the samein terms of certain functional and structural components, it would bemost preferable to have a system where both non-AV and AV vehiclesco-exist. Having the road and vehicles that exist today readilyretrofitable by the ways as described herein is a start, as replacingtires is something all vehicle owners are accustomed to and is the bestsimple prospect for transforming a driver system to a driverless systemwith the minimum of disjunction and confusion. Other embodiments of thepresent invention relate to inclusion of various other positiondetermining elements in a vehicles' tires and/or wheels, hubcaps, etc.such that a vehicle owner can retrofit their existing vehicle with thelatest versions of updated hardware and software compatible systems tofacilitate system wide AV objectives. Thus, in certain embodiments, thesensors encompassed in such tire/wheel embodiments may include thosethat detect and communicate between separate vehicles on a roadway, suchthat at least one tire/wheel-containing sensor communicates with atleast another tire contained sensor in a neighboring vehicle so as to atleast determine and retain minimum distances from each vehicle underdriving conditions.

Other embodiments are directed to variously configured raised pavementmarking material that include a magnetic component 16, which can alsoinclude an RFID tag, glow in the dark material, etc. The pavementmarking material may include a top surface and a bottom surface oppositethe top surface. The raised pavement marking material also includes incertain embodiments two opposing angled side surfaces adjacent the topsurface and bottom surface. Other embodiments include a multi-groovedtop surface such that reflective aspects of both light and magneticfield sensors can benefit from the directionality of the grooves. Incertain embodiments, in addition to an RFID tag, a rare earth element ismounted on the top surface. Alternatively, the magnetic components aswell as an RFID tag may be within the body of the pavement markingmaterial so long as both the magnetic element and the RFID tag is stillreadable respectively by a magnetic sensor located on a vehicle(preferably in its tires or wheels) and/or by a RFID reader. In certainembodiments, to facilitate a cost effective way to implement an overallAV vehicle system a magnetic sensor is included in less than all thetires or wheels of a vehicle. In some embodiments, only one magneticsensor is employed and is mounted in a position such that it can readthe magnetic field emanating from the pavement marking materials. In onepreferred embodiment, the magnetic sensor is incorporated into onesingle tire or wheel of a vehicle, and preferably the front tire/wheelthat is closest to the pavement marking material when the vehicle ismoving forward (so the front, left hand drivers side of the vehicle inthe US). In other embodiments, especially for redundancy reasons, atleast two tires/wheels include magnetic sensors, preferably on the backleft hand side in the US for vehicles. In still other embodiments threetires/wheels are fitted with such sensors, in other embodiments all fourtires/wheels (of a standard car) are fitted with such sensors. One willappreciate that the addition of RFID tag readers can also accompany themagnetic reader in the same locations as the magnetic readers on thevehicle, or in disparate positions. Preferably, both RFID tag readersand magnetic readers are at least partially powered via thepiezoelectric system employed in the tires/wheels of vehicles havingsuch systems.

The pavement marking material may be made of plastic or other suitablematerials. Preferably, if the magnetic materials and/or RFID tags areembedded within the pavement marking material, then the markers arepositioned and shielded so as to reduce the interference that may occurwith respect to the readability of the RFID tag. The magnetic elementincluding pavement marking material may be attached to a road by anadhesive or double sided tape, as is well known by those skilled in theart.

In various embodiments, a lane position detection system includes, inaddition to at least one magnetic containing element that can be read bya reader positioned on at least one left hand side of a vehicle,preferably near or on a tire/wheel of such vehicle, one or more RFIDtags are also positioned at stationary locations along a traffic lane,preferably as part of a pavement marking material as set forth herein,and an RFID reader is positioned and oriented on a moving vehicle,preferably in a different position from the magnetic reader (so as toavoid interference that may exist n the readers functioning properly ifbrought too close together) such that the vehicle can detect the trafficlane when the RFID reader receives a response from at least one of theRFID tags.

A particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention is directedto a method and system that includes: a magnetic component placed on orin pavement marking material, thus providing a low cost, systemicstructure that, even if used in combination with cameras and othervision systems, assures that existing vehicles can be retrofitted withrelatively low cost systems, such as magnetic readers that are poweredby power producing systems contained in tires or wheels that can bereadily added to existing vehicles, thus making such existing vehiclessuitable for use in an overall AV vehicle system so as to enjoy thenumerous benefits (as set forth herein). Camera systems are consideredas necessary but on their own, insufficient to accomplish the abovereferenced objectives of a safe and efficient AV system. There willnecessarily be a time period of transition where the road must be sharedby both old fashion cars and AV vehicles. Thus, preferably there needsto be a system devised to permit both to operate on the same road—andthe present invention provides such a system. Replacement of pavementmarkers (either tape or paint or Botts, etc.) is already standardprocedure—and thus, replacement with “better-smarter” pavement markerswould be a good start at transforming roads to facilitate an AV vehiclesystem. Traditional vehicles (cars and trucks and busses, etc) wouldpreferably be able to be retrofitted with an AV sensing capacity. Theeasiest way to modify cars is to integrate such new components into somefeature of a vehicle that is traditionally changed out every sooften—and that does not significantly impact the look of the vehicle:tires or wheels. Thus, putting special features in tires to transform aregular vehicle into an AV vehicle is a preferred way to proceed withintroducing a viable and cost effective AV system for the public good.Preferably, a magnetic system is installed into pavement markers—eitherpaint, Botts, more substantial markers, etc. Thus, “new” lines in thecenter of lanes (or under the tires themselves) would not necessarilyhave to be provided (so that roadways will retain the old look and feelwe the public are accustomed to). To get a robust magnetic signal from apavement/roadway marking running down the center (and preferably alsothe side) of a highway—one preferably must get very close to themagnet—and/or employ a powerful magnet. Better magnets are now availableby using Rare earth elements—and if one employs tires—which allnecessarily have to contact the ground in close proximity to thepavement markers (preferably about 12-18 inches away)—and the power torun an AV system being attained using piezoelectric components intires/wheels to provide power for an AV system that senses the magneticsignals from the roadway/pavement markers, thus permitting one to avoidthe increased energy demands that the proposed camera systems entail.

Therefore, with a magnetic lane system as described—readily attainablevia routine road maintenance using traditional practices (and justbetter pavement markers—e.g. ones having magnetic features) and the useof compatible tires that have magnetic sensors to read the pavementmarkers—the present invention provide the “something extra” required forAV vehicles to be dependable, and able to navigate with less camera andradar features, etc. The retrofitability of such a system—from pavementmarking elements to tires for traditional vehicles—in order to have amore cohesive and uniform system—especially where AV vehicles converseand signal between each other and with the same road surface—may achieveand accomplish the objective of a smoother transport system devoid ofhuman error—made possible and attainable via the present invention.

With reference to FIG. 1, one of skill on the art will appreciate themany variety of materials and layers that can be produced to generate asuitable pavement marking material to accomplish the objectives of thepresent invention as set forth herein. In certain preferred embodiments,however, a rare earth metal magnet 16 is provided in the center regionof a pavement marking material. Other suggested layers of the pavementmarking material 30 may include: glass beads 32, adhesive 34, a plasticor rubber base 36; an adhesive layer 38; fiberglass or composite netting40 and a road surface adhesive 42. In addition, an RFID tag may bepositioned in roughly the same position and layer as the magneticelement 16, and in certain embodiments both an RFID tag and a magneticelement 16 are both employed.

FIG. 2 illustrates various sensor system that can be used in conjunctionwith the present magnetic pavement marking system, where a magneticsensor is provided on at least one position near at least the left frontside of a vehicle and powered by a piezoelectric system associated withat least one of the wheels of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a magnetic sensor system thatincludes a piezoelectric power generating component positioned inside atire, thus facilitating retrofitting of existing vehicles to render themAV vehicle suitable, thus providing a way for an AV system to be adoptedto achieve the life saving and gas saving potential in such an AVsystem.

FIG. 4 illustrates how one or more sensors and beacons may be positionedon or in existing structures such as light poles, mile markers, roadsignage, roadway reflectors, roadway paint, marking material, lanedividers, temporary traffic markers, and beneath roadway surfaces.Sensor and beacon functionality is based on at least one, but mayinclude multiple technologies, including magnetic, RF, visual, infrared,ultraviolet, subsonic, ultrasonic, mechanical, gamma radiation, andshort-range radio frequency communication methods.

FIG. 5 illustrates other aspects of certain embodiments of the presentinvention, namely the provision of “recognition features” 40 to enableAV's to “see” various structures, apparel, animals, etc., such thatsensors and beacons may be placed on or in existing structures such aslight poles, clothing, shoes, tags, bikes, mile markers, road signage,roadway reflectors, roadway paint or marking material, lane dividers,temporary traffic markers, etc.

In still other embodiments, pavement marking materials may furtherinclude encoded information, much like smart-cards employ, that includeone or more bits of information. An AV on-board sensing system acquiresthe information when the vehicle passes by the reference markers andthereby determines vehicle position, preferably used in combination withother systems that include optical sensing, radar, and acoustic or videosensing systems. Various embodiments are designed to sense the vehicle'sposition relative to a desired pathway, usually the center line of thehighway.

The present invention has now been described with reference to severalembodiments thereof. The foregoing detailed description and exampleshave been given for clarity of understanding only. No unnecessarylimitations are to be understood therefrom. All patents and patentapplications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference. It willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes can be made inthe embodiments described without departing from the scope of theinvention. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not belimited to the exact details and structures described herein, but ratherby the structures described by the language of the claims, and theequivalents of those structures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lane position detection system comprising: oneor more rare earth magnetic components embedded into pavement markingmaterial, together with at least one or more RFID tags positioned atstationary locations along a traffic lane, said magnetic component beingdetectable by a magnetic sensor located near at least one tire or wheelon the left side of a vehicle, with said magnetic sensor being poweredby at least one piezoelectric power generation system associated with atleast one wheel of the vehicle, and said one or more RFID tags beingembedded in pavement marking material at a position so that the magneticcomponents do not interfere with an RFID reader located on a passingvehicle; said RFID reader positioned and oriented in a vehicle andsecured to the vehicle so as to be near the traffic lane so that thevehicle can detect the traffic lane when the RFID reader receive aresponse from at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
 2. Anautonomous vehicle system pavement marking material, comprising: amicroprocessor embedded in the pavement marking material; a magneticreader embedded in the pavement marking material and electronicallycoupled to the microprocessor capable of accessing information regardinga vehicle passing in close proximity to the pavement marking material;and a power source embedded within the pavement marking material forsupplying power to the microprocessor and the magnetic reader.
 3. Thepavement marking material of claim 2, where the power source is one of:an embedded battery, is RF energy received from a wireless network. 4.The pavement marking material of claim 2, further comprising inputcomponents electronically coupled to the power source and themicroprocessor, the input components being one of a light sensor, a GPSmodule; a location sensor; a RF transmitter for supporting datatransmissions.